Finding Truth
by Sticks
Summary: *UPDATED, formatting fixed, longer first chapter* The Harry Potter crew is looking for a rare cure...last seen in Feudal Japan?? The Well has sent Kagome to Hogwarts??? How will the Inuyasha clan react to all this? Inu/Kag


The summer's day started just about like any summer's day at Four Privet Drive for the skinny young man with the unruly black hair and piercing green eyes; with an irritating rap at the door, and his aunt's screeching voice.  
  
"UP!" she demanded shrilly, "Get your lazy self out of bed this instant and mow that lawn!!!" Harry sighed, wanting to ignore her, but knew it was best he didn't. He groaned, pushing the comforter away from his bed, and sat up to rub the sleepiness from his eyes.  
  
"I'm up!" he yelled back, although he would have rather been asleep. That notion changed, however, with the curious hooting of an owl. His owl, Hedwig, who was tilting her head to stare at him in an inquiring manner. He didn't give it much thought, however, and instead turned his attention to what lay before him on the desk. There were three cakes: one, chocolate, from Hagrid; another, chocolate, from Sirius; and the last, vanilla, from Hermione. He smiled. He wasn't going to go hungry for a while....although his cousin, Dudley, sure was. At that memory he couldn't help but suppress a snicker. His aunt and uncle were still trying to get Dudley on a diet, and it still wasn't working. Of course, it didn't help that his overweight cousin sneaked sweets every chance he got.  
  
Without really looking, he ran a brush through his hair after putting on a pair of jeans and a shirt. The jeans, Dudley's, were much too short and incredibly too wide. Over the summer he had had a growth spurt, and now nearly towered over Dudley. Although his cousin still outweighed him by far. He knew that the brush wouldn't do much good, but it wouldn't hurt to try, he reasoned. Eventually he gave up and resorted to walking down the stairs.  
  
He hadn't gotten very far, when a loud, feminine shriek overtook his ears. Bewildered, Harry looked around to see his cousin staring at him in something between terror and derision, before he felt the pain of a frying pan connecting with his head. A yelp of pain escaped his throat, as he began trying to madly dodge his aunt's frenzied swings.  
  
"AWAY!" his aunt Petunia yelled, "GET AWAY FROM US!! GET!!!" She swung again, this time very nearly missing his head again. He was smart; he didn't waste time to find out what had gotten her so mad. He bolted back upstairs, dodging dishes as they became airborne projectiles.  
  
"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!!!!" Petunia continued to shriek, which Harry could hear quite clearly over the crashing of glassware as it shattered upon contact with the hard, wooden door. "OUT!!!!"  
  
Harry didn't know what had caused his aunt's sudden wrath, but he knew better than to stick around. He didn't like being here anyway. The only reason he stayed every summer was because Dumbledore insisted upon it, at least to begin with. He much preferred his summers at the home of one of his best friends, Ron Weasley. As it was, the Weasleys had informed him that if he ever needed a place to go, he was welcome in their home. But for the moment, he had no time to contact them, and had no way of getting to their home...he didn't even know where it was! But he wasn't out of options yet. He would call the one person he knew he could always count on, even though she had difficult problems of her own, and he hated burdening her; his twin sister, Kathryn.  
  
Quickly, he dialed her number on the phone, still hearing clearly his aunt's ravings. He really didn't want to stay any longer with this unstable family. The response on the other line wasn't exactly immediate, and sounded tired.  
  
"Hello?" the voice, although tired and muffled, was clearly Kathryn's. The sound of heavy footsteps on the stairs informed Harry he really didn't have that much time to be concerned, so he plunged right on ahead.  
  
"Kat, it's me," he said quickly, trying to get all this in.  
  
"Harry?" she asked, confused, but he cut her off.  
  
"I need you to come get me," he replied, "Aunt Petunia's gone off her rocker." As he said this, he rubbed his head where a lump was already beginning to form.  
  
Kathryn's voice changed instantly. "I'll be there in about a half hour. Can you wait that long?"  
  
"Yeah," he said, listening nervously as he began to hear heavy pounding on his door. "I'll be at the corner of Privet Drive and Manchester Avenue."  
  
"I'll be there," Kathryn replied, and he hung up as the door finally gave way, showing the purpling face of a furious Uncle Vernon. The older man's eyes grew wide, before he began lunging at Harry, looking as if he wanted to choke the life out of him. Harry didn't waste time on staring. He scooped Hedwig in one arm, his trunk in the other, and leapt out the window. To say the least, he was surprised with the ease of which he landed, but didn't take time to question it. He took off, Vernon still shaking his fist through the window.  
  
"AND DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK!!!!"  
  
"Gladly," Harry thought sullenly as he trekked to the end of Privet Drive and began waiting for his sister.  
  
He didn't have to wait long. Approximately fifteen minutes later (he didn't have a watch), the old, beat up, silver sedan stopped at the corner, and a tired-looking young woman stepped out of the driver's seat. Dark hair ran to her mid-back, which was loosely pulled back by a cloth scrunchie. Green eyes regarded him curiously, but she didn't comment as she helped him stuff his trunk into the back of her car. He climbed in the passenger seat, feeling the heat of the summer's day.  
  
"Sorry," Kathryn apologized, wiping the sweat from the back of her hand. "Blasted air conditioner's broke..." While Harry had his own difficulties with the Dursleys, he knew his problems didn't even compare to his twin's. The court had given her emancipation after her "aunt" had died, but she struggled simply to feed herself. She was too proud, he knew, to ask for help, and had refused assistance even when it was offered. Wisely, he didn't comment as she pulled the car into drive and the familiar sights of Privet Drive began to blur into nothing.  
  
"I don't know why Aunt Petunia just went crazy all of a sudden," Harry explained, seeing Kathryn turn a raised eyebrow to him.  
  
"What?" he asked. Kathryn continued to watch him, then shrugged and pulled down the sunvisor in front of him as the light changed to green. He looked at her, confused, but looked in the mirror anyway...and nearly fainted at the sight. As it was, he wasn't too out of it to not notice the smirk of amusement as it crossed Kathryn's face, as she deftly wove the car into a parking place before her apartment building. Two small, black, doglike ears adorned the top of his head.  
  
"And you think this is funny?" he demanded of Kathryn, who was still watching him with that same amused smirk. "Well?!" He continued fishing for an answer, but to no avail. Kathryn simply handed him a hat before walking up to the apartment, Hedwig's cage under one arm. A frustrated growl escaped his throat as he watched her. She seemed to be enjoying this entirely too much.  
  
"Kathryn!!!" he exclaimed, hurriedly shoving the hat on his head. "Get back here! Why is this funny?! What do you know! Answer me, dammit!" She didn't reply, other than turning her head and flashing him that irritating smirk again.  
  
"Sisters...." was his muttered curse as he trudged after her.  
  
The apartment building itself was rather worn down and not exactly in the best section of town. Harry had found himself woken up numerous times in the night on previous occasions by screeching tires. He had only to look out the window to see a drug deal, and if he was at the window at the right time, he was afraid he would see a murder. Certainly he didn't like his sister living here, but he really had no say in her choices...and she really couldn't afford much more, not on her meager budget.  
  
'She could if she would just ask for help!' Harry thought angrily. 'That Gringotts account is by all rights hers, too! Why are you so stubborn, Kathryn??!'  
  
Stairs creaked as he lugged his trunk up them, trying to ignore the cursing of the heavyset woman from the apartment adjacent to his sister's. However, it was really hard to do because the closer he came, the more her cursing intensified.  
  
"Damn you, Kathryn!" the woman shouted, "Do you have any respect at all! Barging in here like you own the F$&*%#@ place!!! People like to have an F$&*%#@ peaceful sleep once in an F$&*%#@ while! Are you F$&*%#@ listening to me, dammit?!"  
  
Kathryn sighed, clearly used to and tired of the same argument.  
  
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Linchaunter, " she said wearily, turning the key in the lock of her apartment door and pushing it open. The paint on the walls was chipped and fading, and the wallpaper was peeling in places. While the apartment wasn't in that great of shape, it was clean and orderly, and well kept. It was small, but it served her purposes. Her living room consisted of a small sofa and a chair, and it was separated from her tiny kitchen by a bar. In the kitchen, dishes were stacked neatly to dry, not yet put away. The countertops and stove gleamed with her hard work, but even her meticulous scrubbing could not take away all the grime. No one else had ever been to her apartment; not Hermione, not Ron or any members of his family, not Sirius or Dumbledore. She was partly embarrassed, and partly afraid that the courts would recall her emancipation and send her to foster care. Harry knew all this, and had argued with her countless times about seeking help, aid, anything, but she refused point-blank.  
  
"I'm surviving," she would say, and it would end the discussion. He sighed, but walked in after her and shut the door firmly behind him.  
  
"Lady has nothing better to do than gripe and cuss, when she had her own 'visitors' barging it at every hour of the night doing who-knows- what..." Kathryn muttered to herself, throwing her purse and keys on the counter and setting Hedwig on the table. She ran a hand through her dark bangs, before motioning to the couch and chair.  
  
"Make yourself at home," she said, as she pulled a cup from one of the cabinets. "Want something to eat or drink?"  
  
"Water's fine," Harry replied, setting his trunk down beside the sofa and walking into the kitchen after her. She handed him a cup of water, before pouring herself a glass of orange juice and rummaging through another cabinet. Harry watched her pull out a prescription vial and shake a giant pill into her hand, grimacing as she swallowed it. "Nastiest pill I've ever had to take in my life," she commented, downing the last of the orange juice. "Aftertaste stays with you for an hour." The expression on his face was one of suspicious concern, but he didn't say anything for fear of an explosion of temper. "It's a blasted horse pill," she continued, replacing the orange container in the cabinet.  
  
"Anyway," she said, changing the subject, "I gotta get to work. My shift starts in a half hour, and the manager hates us being late." With a gesture, she pointed to the refrigerator. "There's some leftovers in there, or you can order a pizza or something. I won't be back until late."  
  
Harry nodded, but stalked over and leaned up against the fridge, refusing to allow her to leave the kitchen, and crossed his arms over his chest. Both dog ears were swiveled intently in her direction.  
  
"You owe me an explanation," he stated, watching her reactions closely. She smirked at him again, noting his posture.  
  
"I don't know what happened," she said and shrugged. "But I'm sure Dumbledore will. Until then, wear a hat."  
  
"Wear a hat?" Harry repeated skeptically. "We're twins. Why don't you have funny-looking ears?" It was Kathryn's turn to sigh.  
  
"Well...." she started, then pushed her hair behind her ears, which had gone slightly pointy. "This morning, I woke up, went to go brush my hair, and realized my ears looked like Dobby's. Happy sweet sixteen," she added sarcastically.  
  
Harry just gaped at her, lost for words for a few moments, before he began to smirk. "Look like Dobby's, huh?" he repeated, smiling. "There're _worse_ comparisons..."  
  
"Shut up," she said sullenly, her temper beginning to flare as she tried to push past him. Harry realized that he could smell her differently from before, and she had a specific scent that his brain labeled 'Kathryn.' "Interesting," he thought, moving to allow her to pass.  
  
"Don't wait up," she called as she walked out the door, looking back at him with emerald eyes. "And don't worry. Things will get sorted out. And until then...I'm sure we can get permission from the Ministry for a simple illusion spell."  
  
He smiled at her, but the smile didn't carry to his eyes. Suspiciously, he watched her leave and shut the door behind her. While he was certain she didn't know what was up about the ears or whatever, she was still hiding something. And he didn't like it at all.  
  
A/N: I'm sure you're confused about Kathryn and the ears, lol. Yes, she is an OC, but all will be explained in due time...until then, just sit back and enjoy the ride. ^_~ R/R  
  
~Sticks~ 


End file.
